The spectacular Rysa Walker-author of TImebound- has given up her time for me to interview her. I was ecstatic when she replied to my email! And yes, this is real so please don't ask. If you would like to know more please contact Rysa yourself at rysa@rysa.com. Now without further ado, please enjoy the interview where Rysa talks aboutmaking it as an author and her upcoming Kindle novella, Time's Echo.

Q. For anyone who hasn't read the series, why would you (the author) recommend it? What makes the series so riveting? A. I'm delighted you found the story riveting! It was definitely a joy to write. I would recommend The CHRONOS Files series for anyone who enjoys science fiction or historical fiction, with a bit of romance and suspense added to the mix. At one point, I would have added teens, but surprisingly, at least as many of my readers to date have been adults who like YA or science fiction. You mentioned to me earlier that Timebound made you love history. That's one of the primary reasons I started writing this series--history books can be *so* yawn-inducing! There are some good ones, but so many of them take all the fun out of learning about the past. As a history professor, I really hated the fact that by the time students arrived in my classes, they'd already decided that history was deadly dull. I was usually able to overcome that by the end of the semester, but I thought it would be nice if younger readers were introduced to historical events in a more interesting and exciting way. If there's something in the books that makes readers want to dig a bit, figure out what's history and what's not (hint: the time travel bit isn't history!) then I'm a very, very happy camper.

I'm also running a contest for younger writers at my CHRONOS Files blog, with a new Kindle Fire HDX as first prize for the best submission. So if you know any young writers who want to "join" CHRONOS, send them over to http://www.CHRONOSFiles.com.

Q. Without spilling, could you tell us what's in store for the future of Kate and Trey?

A. Hmm. That's a tough one. Let me just say that it's not going to be easy sailing. Can you recreate the magic that made two people fall in love? And Kiernan has his own ideas about where Kate belongs, which could complicate matters a bit. I guess the best summary is that Kate and Trey have a few hurdles to get past before they can be happy--and the biggest one is bringing down Cyrist International.

Q. Do you ever base your characters off of people that are vital in your life (ex/ family members, friends, fellow authors)? A. Not exactly. I do think that several characters reflect the personalities of people I care about--Harry, for example, is sort of a mish-mash of every good dad I know. And eight-year-old Mick has personality traits from all three of my sons. Kate, Deborah, and Katherine each have a few of my personality traits--and probably Prudence, as well, if I'm going to be honest!

I think the key issue is that the characters are in my head for so long that it's more like they remind me of people I know, rather than that they are based on people I know. Once I start writing, they tend to take on a life of their own, and they often do things that I didn't exactly plan. I was a little worried that fact might make me a candidate for a straight-jacket until I talked with a few other authors who said the same thing. I might still be crazy, but at least I'm in good company!

Q. When you were younger, did you ever imagine you would become such a popular author? A. No. I was from a small town in the middle of nowhere and I never dreamed it would happen. I enjoyed writing, but for a long time I convinced myself that I was better off writing academic non-fiction. I had kids to support and put through college and I needed job security. A few key people believed in me, both before and after I wrote Timebound, but it took a while for me to get the confidence to move forward with my writing. I'm glad that I took a chance and entered the Amazon novel contest, because winning that award put Timebound in front of thousands of readers who would never have found it otherwise.

Q. What inspired the plot for Timebound?

A. The general idea for the series, as mentioned above, was rooted in getting teen readers to engage with history. But I've been a science fiction geek since I was very young, so I always knew that the series would involve time travel. Kate's jump to the Columbian Exposition was pretty much a given, since I'm fascinated both by that particular World's Fair, and by the 1890s in general. The fact that there was a serial killer running around the same area, as well as a political assassination, was just icing on the cake.

It's probably inevitable that the historical events and places that I find fascinating will make their way into the future books in the series. Victoria Woodhull will definitely end up somewhere in the series, as will Houdini. Having grown up in the Deep South near the end of the Civil Rights era, the struggle for racial equality, and for greater tolerance of differences in general will definitely play a role as well.

Don't forget to check out Rysa's website! There will also be a Facebook Launch Party on April 30- May 1st on her new book, Time's Echo. The links for both will be provided below. That's all for this interview! I hope you all enjoyed this interview. You better check out Rysa's books because they are worth reading. Remember to leave comments below on what you thought of her books. Are you excited for her new book?

3 comments

I am part of an online Time Travel themed book club. Rysa joined the club and we all read her book as a group. I loved it! I think it is my favorite monthly club read to date. Not long after reading the novel, Rysa's fans got to see it take off. I was very pleased the day I saw it on some top 10 list on Amazon and then advertised on Goodreads. I really look forward to part 2!

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Any books that are reviewed on this site are either gifted to me, won in a giveaway, or purchased. All reviews are honest, and are not swayed by anything. I will note if the books have been gifted or won. Most pictures or clip art have been taken off of Google or somewhere else if said otherwise. Said pictures are not mine, and I do not hold ownership over them unless stated otherwise.